Method of making shoe-uppers.



K. ENGEL.

METHOD OF MAKING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1912.

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"KARL Enennor ARLINGTON, M ssAciiusETTs, nssienon'ro UNITEDSHOEMACI-IINERY'COMPANY,fOFPATERSONfNEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or new JERSEY.

. To all whom it may 010mm:

"Be it known that I, KARL ENGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing atArling ton, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Im- 1 provements in Methods ofMaking Shoe- -Uppers, of which the following description,

' ingshoe uppers whereby the number ofthe parts essentialto forming theupper may be reduced. 7

As herein described, the invention is ap plied-to the forming of a shoeupper having an integral ankle strap. It will be understood,'however,that theinventionis equally applicable to the forming of uppers in which,otherfintegral parts are embodied where it is desired to practise theprinciples ofthe invention in the shaping and location of An object ofthe invention is so to treat theupper while in its blank condition thatone or more of the dimensions of an integral part of the upper may bevaried, or its location with respect to the other parts may be changed,to the end'that the usual necessity for uniting several pieces to forman upper ofthe same design may be avoided;

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparentwhen the following description and claims are read in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates'a vamp blankafter it has been died out and before the steps which especiallycharacterize the present invention have been performed upon it; Fig. 2shows the vamp blank after it has been operated upon in accordance withthe present invention; and Fig. 3' shows a completed shoe in which avamp of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is employed.

In practising the invention, the blank shown in Fig. 1 may be died outat a single operation or the central part of the blank may be died outafter the blank has been separated from the skin. The latter practice isthe usual practice, since the central portion of the blank maybe of thesame size for a number of different sizes of Vamps and it is, therefore,much cheaper to provide Specification of Letters Patent.

7 opening, to'theanklestrap 8. The end of the ankle strap is vpreferablysevered from METHOD OF MAKING SHOE-UPPERS.

dies 'for cutting out the Vamps which do not have cutting edges forcutting the central portions.

Itwill bernoted from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the outline of theouter edge 2 of-the blank is that of the usual vamp, but thatthe centralportion has been so cut out as to form an ankle opening 4 and a throatopening 6 with 'theankle strap 8 extending from one side of the ankleopening, or from one side of the throat opening, to a point button orbuckle tab 10 extends from the other slde of the ankle opening, orthroat the bottom of the throat opening and the tab ispreferably-severed from the ankle strap by the-same operation whichforms the ankle and throat openings.

Patented J line 8, 1915.

' Application filed August 28,1912. Serial No. 717,503.

near the bottom of-the-throat opening. .A

After the blank shown in Fig. 1 has been formed, the ankle strap 8 istempered and then the blank is held by one hand and the strap ispulledby the other hand in such manner that it is stretched to overlapthe upper, and is preferably at the same time so stretched that it ismoved up somewhat toward the ankle opening, thereby bringing it into itsproper position in the finished shoe. It will be understood, of course,that any suitable tools may be employed for performing the stretchingoperation without departing from the invention. The strap is now of sucha length that it will serve either for carrying a buttonhole for theshoe shown in Fig. 3, or will cooperate with a-buckle attached to thetab '10. Inasmuch as the tab 10 comes under the ankle strap, there isnot the same objection to making this tab of two pieces that there is informing the ankle strap of two pieces and it is, therefore, usual toprovide an extension 12 upon the tab 10.

When the upper is provided with a lining 14:, and particularly when thelining is of leather or similar material, the preferable practice is todie out the upper and lining blanks separately, except that the cuttingof the middle portion will be left for a later operation. After theupper and lining blanks are died out they are pasted together or securedtogether in any other suitable manner and the central portions of thetwo blanks are then died out simultaneously by a single cuttingoperation. This insures that the edges of the ankle straps and tabs, andthe edges of the openings which will be eX- posed in the finished shoe,shallexactly coincide.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is V 1. The method of making ashoe upper having integral, overlapping parts, which consists inblanking out the upper and then,

Y while the upper is in its blank smooth condition, effecting a relativestretching of parts of said upper to bring them into substantially thedesired final shape and relative location.

2. The method of making a shoe upper having an integral strap whichconsists in blanking out the upper with a strap portion and theneffecting a relative stretching of the strap and remaining portions ofthe blank while the parts are in the blank condition to bring said strapinto its desired final dimensions and position. i

3. The method of making'a shoe upper having an integral. strap whichconsists in removingfrom the upper blank materialto providean openinginto which the strap extends and then stretching said strap so that itoverlaps the side of said opening.

a. The method of making a shoe upper having an integral ankle strap,which consists in removing from a vamp blank material to provide anankle opening and a throat opening, with an ankle strap extend ing fromone side of said openings into one of said openings, and then stretchingsaid strap into its desired finaldimensions and position. p

5. The method of making a shoe upper having an integral ankle strap,which consists in removing from a vamp blank material to provide anankle opening and a throat opening, with an ankle strap extend- 'ingfrom one side of said openings into said throat opening and a button orbuckle tab ings to said strap, and then stretching said strap. 7 7

'6. The method of making a shoe upper having an integral ankle strap,which consists in removing from a vamp'blank material to provide anankle opening and a throat opening, with an ankle strap extending fromone side of said openings to a side ofrsaid throat opening and a buttonor buckle tab extending from the. other side of said openings to saidstrap, tempering the strap and then stretching it so that it overlapsthe side of said throat opening.

.7. The method of making a shoe upper 7 having an integral ankle strap,which consists in removing from a vamp blank may the ankle opening.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in thetwo subscrlbing witnesses.

KARL ENGEL.

presence of Witnesses:

H. DORSEY SPENCER, HARLOW M. DAVIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. i

45 extending from the other side of said open-

